Willoughby, Ohio, police catch ‘large reptile’ in backyard

(Watch FOX 8 News’ previous coverage of the search for missing peacocks in Willoughby in February 2024 in the player above.)

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio (WJW) – Willoughby police arrested a cold-blooded suspect, believed to be a fugitive, on Thursday.

They name him Norman. But they’re not quite sure how to classify him, so they settle on “large reptile.”

The spotted, dark green and yellow creature, which appears to be several feet long, was found in a resident’s backyard, according to a Facebook post Thursday. To protect the resident’s privacy, it was not said where Norman was found.

“We are not making this up. I never thought we could top the peacocks,” reads the post, referring to four peacocks that escaped in the city in February. “As this was new to us, we had to make several phone calls. We wanted to make sure Norman was properly treated and cared for.”

Police received a lot of help in capturing and caring for Norman, including from Ryan Pawlus, wildlife officer for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Dr. Dennis Summers of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the vaguely named “Matt the Reptile Guy” and the Herps Alive Foundation, a South Euclid-based nonprofit rescue organization for reptiles and amphibians known as herpetofauna.

Police said Norman’s owner should contact Herps Alive to be reunited with him. The foundation can be reached at 216-374-1392.